Peter Yealands has continued to promote his wines globally despite 80% of the business, Yealands Family Wines, being 80% owned by a power lines company.
He was in wintry Germany late last year when news came that Yealands was the inaugural People’s Choice winner at the Air New Zealand Wine. This was mainly due to his commitment to sustainability practices, which have has earned the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 2017 International Award of Excellence in Sustainable Winegrowing, as well as 29 trophies and more than 1600 medals and other accolades.
Yealands is a comparative newcomer, compared with its major rivals, as it was only established in 2008 and later expanded through the acquisition of several vineyards at Seddon, south of Blenheim, including The Crossings brand. After paying $89 million for its original stake, Marlborough Lines now has an 86% shareholding for which it has paid around $100m. The latest accounts show its value at $173.6m.
Mr Yealands is facing legal action from Marlborough District Council over disposal of waste from winemaking. This has led to his son expanding his composting company, GrowCo, into dealing with it at a plant at the Yealands family-owned Flaxbourne Station, north of Ward.